Follow the Leader
by Perhapsormaybe
Summary: Raimundo's first month as leader goes pretty roughly. Exploring his evolution to leader and the others' feelings on this. Some Rai/Kim later on.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **This was one of my favorite shows that I haven't yet written fanfiction for. Since the new series for it is due out in 2013, I figured now is as good a time as any at playing in this particular fandom's playground. I am currently rewatching the series, so please let me know if there are any canon violations. I'm mainly writing from memory here.

"So, now that the bad guys have had their butts handed to them," Raimundo cracked his knuckles and wiggled his eyebrows, "I guess we can get down to –"

"Not so fast, Raimundo," Master Fung interrupted. "As the Shoku Warrior and the leader of the other dragons, there are certain responsibilities you must take on. If you will come with me…"

"Reckon you better go," Clay insisted. "We'll just be here practicing."

"Yep," Kimiko echoed, "Practicing."

"Indeed," Omi nodded, "And most certainly we will not be attempting to spy nor be a spider upon the window sill.."

"That's fly on the wall, Omi," Raimundo shook his head. "I'll let you guys know what's up afterwards. Promise." The Xiaolin Dragons all nodded and waved him off, but they looked skeptical. It took him a few moments to catch up to Master Fung, and the two walked together to the library.

"There are many things you must learn, Raimundo. Your acceleration from monk to apprentice and then to leader has shown that your heart is in the right place. You are also a capable warrior. But are you ready to take responsibility for your friends?"

"I guess they're cool," The teenaged Brazilian shifted slightly, feeling impatient. "When you say responsibility…is that, like a pet?"

"As their leader, you will participate in their failures as well as their victories. Praise will not always be yours for assistance, but blame is likely to be heaped on your shoulders, even when it is one of the others who failed. As the leader, you take responsibility for them in all situations. This means that discipline, from now on, falls to you. As does training the others."

"I get to discipline Omi?" Raimundo rubbed his hands almost greedily.

"Not so fast. Remember that I said their failures will also be yours?"

"Not word for word…"

"As such," the master continued as though he hadn't been interrupted, "Any punishment they take, you will also take. If you violate a rule, you will do twice the amount of what you expected of them. Say that you decree that if you slurp your soup at dinner, you must run a mile. If Omi breaks that rule, you will both run the mile. If you break that rule, you will run two miles."

"Is it too late to give this robe to Omi? I think he wanted it more…" Raimundo tugged at his Shoku robe, noting that it suddenly felt much heavier than it had a few moments ago.

"You were chosen for a reason, Raimundo. It is your burden, but it is because you are as gifted as you are. But if you wish, you can give up the role. Let someone else lead."

"Are you kidding?" Raimundo smirked. "I'm the only one that can pull off this outfit."

"I am glad to hear it. Now, the books…" Master Fung began grabbing books, seemingly at random, and throwing them backwards in Raimundo's direction. The Dragon of the Wind raced rapidly around the room to catch each book, very nearly spilling them all as each new one came towards him.

"How many of these do I actually have to read?" Rai groaned.

"Those are the first forty volumes you'll be expected to memorize."

"Memorize?"

"Yes. We'll start on the other eighty-four after you have implemented successful training programs for the others."

* * *

"Does he look kind of …scary to you guys?" Kimiko asked, dangling off a tree branch before flipping herself onto it. She perched in the tree and continued to watch Raimundo. He was under the shade of an oak tree across the way, furiously taking notes as he read through a dusty old book.

"He looks like he's mighty focused. Maybe it's an interestin' book?" Clay suggested.

"Doesn't look like it has pictures, and I don't see a swimsuit model on the front," Kimiko rolled her eyes. "So I can't see how it's keeping Rai's attention."

"Perhaps he is seeking wisdom in order to better himself?" Omi suggested. He shook his head before the other two could answer. "No, I suppose that could not be it, either."

"Keep it down over there!" Raimundo called. "I'm trying to study! Kimiko, you look a little slow, go run a lap. Clay, punching bags. Omi, work on your slang."

"Who am I supposed to work on slang with?" Omi called back.

"Run with Kimiko and practice with her. You have to start over each time she loses patience with you or you get a slang term wrong."

"That hardly seems fair," Kimiko muttered.

"Just do it!" Raimundo insisted. _There. That should buy me at least another hour to study. Then we have to start the real training,_ Raimundo thought to himself before sighing, _Ai. This is hard work. _

"Need a studyin' partner, Partner?" Clay asked, taking a seat by Rai.

"Thought I told you to go punch things?"

"Reckon I already know how to do that. So you may as well let me help you. You're the leader, I know, but ain't no rule says you have to do it all by your lonesome. …'Less it's in that huge book you've got with you. I've never read _that_ one."

Rai considered his options. On the one hand, Omi and Kimiko were going to be furious when they realized Clay got out of his training. On the other, Clay had proven time and time again to be very intelligent and prone to memorization of things others would over look.

"Oh, all right," Rai conceded. "We can look over the book together and you can give me a hand. I'm supposed to memorize it."

"Word for word?"

"You know, I never actually asked…"

"Seems to me this particular book," Clay leafed through it, studying the pages carefully, "Merely says to treat people right. Can't find a chapter that has any different message. It's all 'give a cup of sugar to your neighbor, even if he won't let you borrow his best racing horse'."

"I have to report to Master Fung after the end of today, so hopefully you're right and it doesn't have to be verbatim. Thanks, Clay."

"You know…you were the right choice."

"Thanks."

"I mean it. I knew it wasn't going to be Omi – still a little unsure of himself. Couldn't be Kim…she's getting better, but still a hothead."

"What about you, though? You would have made a good leader…"

"Reckon I didn't want it that much. Making decisions for everybody, not allowed to do things at just my own pace…wouldn't fit me well."

"Yeah, but you never-"

Clay shook his head. "Don't you get started on the 'You never went to the Heylin side!' speech. I know you did. I was there. But I also know you' been beatin' yourself up about it since you got back. That's why you're going to be good at this. You learn from your mistakes. Just don't forget that sometimes you can let go of those mistakes, so long as you keep the lesson."

"Thanks again, Clay," Raimundo said before he whistled loudly to get Kimiko and Omi's attention. The dragons of Fire and Water came racing towards the other two, Kimiko looking irritated and Omi's mouth constantly moving.

"But then, I responded with 'HOLO' – Hello Only Loves Otters…At least, this is what I think it means," Omi was saying. Kimiko sighed.

"Do I have to run for that?"

Rai shook his head. "No. And Omi, that's 'YOLO'-and it means…you know what, you figure it out. It's starting to get dark out. We had that fight with the big bads at the gate this afternoon. Feels like we haven't had a break in months. What do you guys say we take a night off and go get some tea?"

The idea was greeted with a lot of enthusiasm from the other dragons.

"So, whaddya think?" Dojo asked. He sat on a window sill, watching the teenagers. "Was Raimundo the right choice?"

"So it would appear," Master Fung nodded his approval. "But only time will tell for sure."


	2. Weaknesses

**Author's Note: **I apologize to those who love Omi. I like to make fun of him. This chapter is pretty heavy on the jokes. Chapter edited to fix some mistakes.

"Come now, Shoku Warrior. Now is no time to sleep."

Raimundo groaned and squinted his eyes open just enough to see what the disturbance was. Master Fung stood at the edge of Raimundo's sleeping mat, a small lantern in his hands. The teenager yawned and stretched.

"Did I sleep until three again?"

"It is not yet three. It is two thirty."

"Yikes!" Raimundo jumped up and rubbed his eyes, trying to force himself awake. "You really let me sleep that late?"

"I mean that it is two thirty in the morning."

"No. I don't care what clocks say about 'a.m.', two thirty is still night time. I'm going back to -"

"Raimundo. Now."

Rai sighed and slipped his robe and pants on. He gave one last longing glance at his sleeping mat before he exited the room.

"See!" he said when they got outside. A full moon shone down on them, illuminating the temple. It was a bright and beautiful night. The problem in Raimundo's mind, of course, being that it was _night_. "It's dark out. No sun, no day. Can I _please_ go back to sleep?" Master Fung said nothing. "Right. Lemme guess 'If one wishes to be the Shoku Warrior and leader, then one must get up early in the morning to catch the worm. The worm being what will bring on 1000 years of darkness!'"

"I am not aware of any worm that causes 1000 years of darkness, though there is a tale of one that can cause a year of it."

"Tell me later. Let's just get on with it."

"A much better attitude to have," Master Fung said appreciatively. "Have you been studying?"

"Yeah. That 'Monk Attitude' book was all about how we should strive to always be a good person. You know, be nice. Help little old ladies cross the street, lend your neighbor sugar and don't play tricks on your friends. Unless they're _really_ funny."

"Aside from that last part, very good."

"Well, Clay helped. Does this mean I don't have to know the books word-for-word?"

"No. The words are not as important as the lessons they carry. It is enough to know the meaning. But today, you and I will focus on weaknesses."

"What, like a trick knee?"

"You will see."

As the older monk and the Dragon of the Wind stood in the middle of the grounds, a low wind started. It howled across the yard, seeming to moan at them. Raimundo frowned. "Wait…" He listened more closely, realizing that the winds were carrying the sound of someone's sobs towards them. "Someone's out there! They need our help!"

"No."

"No?" Raimundo had a hard time keeping his voice down. Remembering that the others were asleep and figuring he didn't need their aid (at least not yet), he softened his voice. "Someone's hurt. We should go help them."

"I am telling you not to go and to remain here."

Raimundo crossed his arms and gritted his teeth. The crying grew louder, more desperate. "Oh, come on! Whoever that is needs us, we can't sit around and do nothing! What harm could helping them do?"

Rai paused. He remembered suddenly one of the last times he had been told not to help and what had happened when he had disobeyed. He dropped his arms to his side and cringed as he waited for the crying to subside. After what felt like eternity, the wailing stopped.

"This was all a test, wasn't it, Master Fung?"

The elderly monk nodded. "It is a good thing to have a kind heart, Raimundo. It is one of your best qualities. But you must understand when a quest may be more important than stopping to help someone."

"I think I understand. Who was that crying, anyway?"

"Kimiko distorted a recording she made of Jack Spicer from one of the more crushing defeats you and the other monks visited on him."

* * *

"You look more tired than a rodeo bull after he's chased a clown," Clay greeted Raimundo after breakfast. Rai was already sitting outside in the training grounds, waiting for the others.

"Well, when a warrior rises with the moon the sun may not defeat him," Raimundo responded.

"What does that even mean?" Kimiko asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No idea," Raimundo admitted, pulling out a book from behind him. "It's from the 'Big Book of Monk Platitudes – 5,000 Phrases to Make You Sound Like a Mystic Teacher'. It was one of the ones on my reading list."

"So, what will we be learning today? May I practice more slang?" Omi asked cheerfully. "I am most intrigued by contractions…"

"Contractions aren't slang, Omi," Kimiko patted the smallest monk on his back. "But I'm pretty eager for today's lesson as well. Yesterday's tea break was nice, but it'd be good to get back to top form."

"Clay, Omi, you guys have today free – as in, free to practice what you want, but no goofing off. Actual training. Kimiko, you're with me."

"All right! Come, my cowboy friend, you shall teach me contractions even as I knot your jerk tail!"

Clay shook his head. "That's 'I'll jerk a knot in your tail'. But come at me if you can," the Earth Dragon took out his rope and lassoed Omi, pulling the bald kid to him.

"Looks like they're off to a good start," Raimundo pushed himself off the ground and motioned for Kimiko to follow him. They walked over to the edge of the training grounds, out of the way of Omi and Clay's match. "We're working on individual stuff today. Weaknesses. Master Fung worked with me on mine this morning."

"Was it an intervention for how to pick up after yourself?" Kimiko suggested with a sweet smile.

"I'm just going to ignore that." Rai took a pink rose out of his robe and held it up for Kimiko to examine. "You have to take this from me."

"Is that all?"

"Without a single petal coming out of place. Even if it's not directly your action, even if it's just the wind, you lose."

"Even if it's wind you're controlling?"

"I'm not going to aim for the flower, but I won't take it easy on you either."

"This is really your idea of training?" Kimiko crossed her arms. "Seems kind of simple to me."

"Would you rather wax a car?" She shook her head. "Then let's get started. Come at me when you're ready."

Kimiko took a step back in order to be able to take a flying leap at Raimundo. "That won't work. That's a dumb plan," Kimiko had learned long ago that it was best to ignore Rai. She went ahead and attempted the flip. "You know, I can see under your robe when you do that…"

She shrieked and pulled her robe down before blushing at the realization that her pants would keep him from seeing anything inappropriate. Kimiko cracked her knuckles. "Fine. Time to get serious."

"Serious? Nope," Raimundo leaped up in the air just as Kimiko dove for his legs. She missed and slid head on into the dirt.

"Oh come on! You're the Dragon of the Wind…you can fly! How is that not cheating?"

Raimundo floated up onto the nearest wall and sat down. "Better hurry, Kim. The more I leap around with this thing, the more likely a petal is to come off."

Kimiko growled and jumped onto the wall herself, landing just inches in front of Raimundo.

"Not bad…you know. For a girl."

"Yes, this is true," Omi called from across the yard. "Girls often cannot jump as high as boys."

"STAY OUT OF THIS, OMI!" Kimiko screamed back at him, her eyes suddenly seeming to catch on fire.

"Distracted?"

"No, I-" Before Kimiko could finish her statement, Raimundo grabbed her right arm, his left hand still clutching the flower.

"I know you learned a lot about your focus when we first got the tangle web comb, but you are still letting insults get to you and letting yourself get mad. You're driving yourself to distraction over things that don't matter. You should have –…where did the flower go?"

Kim smirked as she wrenched her arm free of Rai's grip before showing him the rose in her left hand. "I know I get mad sometimes-"

"Sometimes?" Raimundo raised an eyebrow.

"Fine. I get angry a lot. But I'm learning and I've gotten better about it. I still got the flower, didn't I?"

Raimundo shook his sleeve. A single petal drifted lazily from the elbow of his robe toward the ground. "You were close," he admitted. "But not quite there. You still need work. And before you get mad about that, I admit that we _all_ need work."

She started to respond before sighing. What could she say? Raimundo was right. Kimiko cocked her head to the side. "You're actually pretty good at this."

"You don't have to sound so surprised."

"Sorry. It's just…a little surprising. It seems like just yesterday you were pantsing Omi or filling Clay's hat with milk. And now you're leading us and you're not using your authority to try to mess with any of us."

"Did you think I was going to be bad at it?" Kimiko was surprised by how earnest Raimundo sounded. He wasn't taunting her. He was genuinely concerned that she thought he was a bad choice.

"No. I just didn't expect you to be _this_ good. But you've been through a lot, and I don't think any of the rest of us could have done it," she surprised him with a kiss on the cheek. "Just don't let it go to your head. It's big enough already."

**Author's Note: **Yeah. Very, very slight Kimiko/Rai. Like, squint and you'll see it. You may ask why. Well, I like staying as true to the characters as I can, and this is how I felt they would act in this situation. If you don't like it, remember this is fanfiction and merely my interpretation.


	3. Faith

**Author's Note: **First off, thanks to **Disciple of Darkness **and **Karebear77** for your kind reviews. Secondly, this was originally going to be a shorter story, but I've thought of some more things, so bear with me. We might be here a while. Also, I think I need to add Humor to the genre for this story, because I can't seem to stop typing jokes in here, even when I'm trying to be serious.

"Oh for goodness sakes, Clay, would you just hit me already? I want to get out of this dress!"

"This is one of the weirdest things I have ever seen," Kimiko put a hand to her forehead, "and I've fought a sentient bean."

A little girl had been the one speaking to Clay. At least, that's what she seemed to be at first appearance. A small little girl with blonde curls pinned up in pink ribbons. She had on a bright blue dress with a sash around her waist that matched the ribbons. But she wasn't what she seemed.

"Dojo, you are most adorable in this form!" Omi said with a thumbs up. The little girl, actually Dojo in disguise, growled at him before spitting some soot in the youngest monk's direction.

"Clay," Raimundo crossed his arms, "Would you just hit Dojo already?"

"He's dressed like a little girl! Hitting girls is wrong, especially cute little ones! He don't look like he could hurt nothing."

"Dude's never seen a horror movie," Raimundo rolled his eyes. "Look, sometimes the bad guys don't look like bad guys. You have to hit girls sometimes. Evil went all equal opportunity years ago. Plus you know that's just Dojo in a dress. Just hit him so we can move on to something else. We've been waiting on you for an hour."

Clay closed his eyes before punching Dojo hard enough to send the dragon flying. He changed back to his true, smaller form in midair.

"There you go, Clay! Way to …hit a little girl," Omi paused. "This does not seem like something to be cheered."

"Good, Clay. We'll work on it some more later," Raimundo promised. "Now, for the group training-"

"Seriously?" Kimiko placed a hand on her hip.

"Yeah, Partner, are we planning on just ignoring the elephant in the room?" Clay added.

"We are not in a room," Omi looked around, "And I see no elephants."

"What's wrong now?" Raimundo asked, even though he knew what was coming. He had been avoiding it for a while. It was only a matter of time before Clay and Kimiko called him out on it.

"Omi," Kimiko picked the smallest monk up by the back of his robes and thrust him into Raimundo's arms. "You've been doing individual training with Clay and I for two weeks now, but nothing with Omi."

"Clearly this is because my superior martial art skills are far above Raimundo's own," Omi said smugly. "Though if he wishes for me to teach him a few moves, I shall be glad to attempt to do so."

"Fine," Raimundo slung Omi over his back. "You and I are going away from the temple. Kimiko, Clay, practice with your Wudai weapons. No breaks until we get back."

"You heard the man," Dojo clapped at the Dragons of Earth and Fire, "Get back to work!"

"Dojo, help Clay some more." Raimundo ordered before exiting the grounds.

"Great. I get to dress up as a little girl and it's not even for a tea party," Dojo muttered.

* * *

"Why are we going so far from the temple?" Omi asked. He had hopped down from Raimundo's grasp and was now following the Shoku Warrior through the forest.

"Because you and I need to talk, and because this is where we'll do your training." He surveyed the forest for a while, then selected an area where there was a break in the trees. The sky was clear overhead, though the sun was starting to go down.

"So, what kind of training do you have in mind for me?"

"No comments about how much better you are than me?" Raimundo looked suspicious. "How do I know you're not Hannibal Bean using the Moby Morpher?"

"Because I would not be using mirrors and fog to deceive you!"

"…That's smoke and mirrors. Yep, it's you. Look. It's not about you being better. I took you out here because…I know you really wanted to be the leader, and I don't know how you feel about me getting it. We never talked about it. I kind of want to say I'm sorry, but I'd be lying. I wanted this, Omi, really badly."

"And you deserved it," Omi bowed his head. "The best fighter does not always make the best general."

"Still think you're a better fighter?"

"Of course. It is only natural, given that I have trained longer. But one day, perhaps, you will catch up," Omi smirked and gave Raimundo what was meant to be a playful punch in the arm. Raimundo rubbed the spot where he'd been hit – Omi still didn't really know how to hold back. "Raimundo, I did not understand at first. Not as much why you were chosen, but rather why I was not. I was simply not ready for the challenge. It did hurt, but I have grown. But you grew and you did so faster than me. We have all accepted that you are leader, and we are happy for you. So why do you still doubt yourself?"

Raimundo let out a small chuckle. "Just when I think I have you all figured out, little dude, you surprise me. Thanks. But now, onto your training…"

* * *

"Your overconfidence is your weakness," Raimundo explained, but Kimiko interrupted.

"Your faith in your friends is yours!"

Clay chuckled, but Raimundo rolled his eyes. "Let's focus here!"

Omi stood on a long bamboo pole in the center of a pit, completely blindfolded. "Kimiko," Raimundo nodded at the girl. She nodded back.

"Wudai Mars Fire!" Flames erupted from her hands, filling the pit below Omi.

"I am not sure that touch was completely necessary…It is getting most hot," Omi complained. "Is that not overcoming a line?"

"That's 'crossing a line'. But it sets a time limit," Raimundo explained. "Absolutely no assisting, Omi. We're going to get you out of there. You have to trust us to do that."

"By yourselves? But I am certain my assistance would be most invaluable!"

"If you use any kung fu, you fail," Raimundo reprimanded him. "Now…Clay. You first."

"Clay! You should use your earth power to –" Omi started to suggest, but Raimundo shushed him.

"You also can't tell people what to do. Just trust that your friends will save you."

Clay studied the pit for a moment, then pulled out his lasso. He threw it over the Chinese monk and pulled him from the bamboo pole. Omi went flying through the air, and Clay yanked hard on the lasso to bring Omi into his arms. "I got you, little buddy!" Omi took off his blind fold and gave the cowboy the thumbs up symbol.

"Very good, Clay, but you could have also-" This time Omi stopped himself. "No, my friend, it was an excellent rescue."

"Other than your robes being on fire," Kimiko said.

"Yes, other than my robes being on…YAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Omi screamed and swatted at the flames on his robes. "Do we have to do that again?"

"Yep. Until you can let us get you out of there without trying to help," Raimundo insisted. "I'll go get a new bamboo pole. That one doesn't look sturdy anymore."

Omi dropped onto the ground and stared up at the sky. The stars were just starting to come out. "It is going to be a most long night…"


End file.
